At NCIS headquarters, Kate grabs her handbag and makes her way to the elevator as she says, "Good night Tony. See you on Monday." As the elevator doors open, Gibbs rushes out colliding into Kate. His fast reflects prevent them from ending up on the floor. Tony looks at them and grins as he hears Kate stutter an apology.
"Grab your gear." Gibbs says as he walks around Kate to his desk to grab his gun and coffee. Tony makes a sad face at Kate as he says, "Where we going, Boss?"
"To investigate a disturbance at a Navy Lt's apartment." Gibbs says as he makes his way back to the elevator.
"Kate, you coming?" Gibbs asks as he sees that she has not moved.
"Yes, Gibbs," she sighs as she drops her handbag and grabs her kit and follows Tony and Gibbs into the elevator.
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When they approach the apartment, Tony is surprised that no other uniform authorities are about. As they draw their guns, Gibbs indicates that he wants Kate and Tony to frame the door. He then pushes the unlocked door open and proceeds into the apartment. Everything is dark as Gibbs scans the kitchen and then Kate precedes him and looks into the bedroom on the right and Tony moves to the left. Gibbs then progresses past the dinning room into the lounge. As the moonlight shines into the room through the balcony sliding doors, Gibbs makes out the shape of a woman, lying on her side, on the floor between couches that have been overturned. At the same time Kate and Tony indicate the rest of the apartment is clear.
"Kate hit the lights," Gibbs says as he crouches down next to the woman. She is wearing a red silk robe and her legs are exposed to her thighs. Her wrists are tightly bound behind her.
"What a mess!" Kate observes as she sees the broken dishes and overthrown furniture. Gibbs places two fingers against the prone woman's neck to feel for a pulse and she moans.
"DiNozzo call the paramedics. She's alive." Gibbs shouts as he removes his knife and cuts the plastic tie that has been biting into her waists. She moans as pain radiates through her arms and into her fingers. Gibbs rubs her arms to get the circulation going and then he gently turns her over onto her back, unsure of her other injuries. As he moves her hair back from her face he sees blood on the left side of her face as well as a bruise on her right cheek and a split lip.
"Kate, get a blanket and start processing the scene. I want sketchers and photos. DiNozzo, bag and tag." Gibbs says as he stays with the woman and wraps the blanket around her. She is shivering and mumbling something and Gibbs tries to make out what it is as he continues to rub her arms.
"Ja……sss, Sta….." Lt Sasha Martins mumbles as she feels someone touching running his hands up and down her arms and wrapping a blanket around her. Her arms are on fire and her head feels like it's been split in two.
"What was that Lt Martins?" Gibbs asks in a whisper, trying not to startle her. She stiffens up and then the pain just becomes too much and she passes out again.
The paramedics arrive 10 minutes later and as they lift Sasha onto the gurney she starts to wake up.
"Mmm mmm, my head." She moans as she tries to move away from the prying hands.
"Relax Lt, you are going to be okay. We just need to hook up an IV line and then we will be on our way to the hospital." The paramedic says as Gibbs approaches the gurney.
"Lt Martins, Can you tell me what happened?" Gibbs asks as Sasha tries to focus on everything that is happening around her.
"Who …are… you?" She asks as she tries to swallow past the pain and disorientation.
"I'm Special Agent Gibbs with NCIS." Gibbs replies.
Sasha's eyes widen for a second as she whispers, "Gibbs!" and then she blacks out again.
Gibbs stays at the apartment and as he looks around he can see that the place has been deliberately tossed. Kate and Tony confirm that they have collected prints and bagged and tagged a few items which they hope Abby will be able to pull fibres, skin cells and hair off of.
"We're done Boss." Tony says as he closes his bag and stands in the doorway.
"Get everything back to the lab and ask Abby to start on it first thing in the morning. You guys get some rest. Tomorrow's going to be a long day." Gibbs says as he walks out of the apartment.
"It's already tomorrow." Kate mumbles as she takes her bag and heads for the door. Tony closes the door and seals it as a crime scene.
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At around 8am that morning, at Washington Naval hospital, Sasha drifts in and out of consciousness. She keeps seeing Stacey, her room mate and best friend, with blood on her face and Stacey's 5 year old son, Jason in a dark room afraid and crying and both of them are saying, "Sash, where are you? Help us! We need you!"
Gibbs observes Lt Sasha Martins as she tosses her head on the pillow. She is in a general ward in the hospital being treated by a neurologist as a result of a severe concussion. The Doctor has confirmed that she has been drifting in and out of consciousness throughout the night and early morning, but he is hopeful that she will wake up within a few more hours. Her CT and MRI scans did not indicate any swelling on the brain which is a good thing but she is highly agitated and restless and probably reliving the trauma of the attack at her apartment. She looks pale and keeps moaning and mumbling incoherently. The doctor confirms that the rape kit is negative. So at least she was not violated, just tied up and beaten.
"She seems to be having a bad dream." Tony says as he watches her from the doorway of the hospital ward.
"Yeah." Gibbs says as he moves closer to the bed, "What do you have for me, DiNozzo." Gibbs asks as he runs a hand over his face before taking a sip of coffee.
"Abby is going through everything as we speak. I have just collected Lt Martins robe and will be taking it to Abby now. Kate's going through the photos and McGee is helping her recreate the scene on a new computer program that he has."
"Okay. Get back to the office and run Lt Martins through AFIS. I want every detail from the time she joined the Navy to today. Then interview her colleagues and see if they know anything. I'll be in later and I want an update when I get there."
"On it Boss." Tony says as he leaves the room.
As the door closes behind Tony, Sasha become more agitated and her breathing becomes labored. She suddenly opens her eyes and stares straight ahead without really seeing anything.
"Lt Martins, Are you okay?" Gibbs asks as he places a hand on her shoulder. She jerks away and stares up at him in terror. Her breathing becomes more labored and she starts shaking. Gibbs immediately presses the buzzer for the nurse's station and tells her, "Just calm down. You are safe now. You're in the hospital." Sasha can't hear him. She just feels like he is crowding her. She can't breath and there is an intense pain in her chest. She places her hand over her chest and one on her throat as she feels like she is choking. Then the nausea and disorientation hit her.
A nurse followed by Dr Jackson rush into the room both noting the perspiration on Sasha's brow and the respiratory distress.
"She's having an anxiety attack, Sally get 10mg of Valium stat." The Doctor says as he takes Sasha's pulse and notes how fast it is. He then tries to place the oxygen mask over her face as he says, "Sasha, Breath. Calm down and breath." Sasha feels like she is being smothered and tries to fight the Doctor.
"Agent Gibbs, Please hold her hands down." The Doctor says as he forcefully holds the oxygen mask over her face. Gibbs takes her hands into his and holds onto them gently but firmly. Sasha tightly squeezes his hands as she continues to struggle and stare up at him. Just then the nurse returns and injects the Valium into her hip. Within a few minutes, she calms down and drifts off to sleep.
"I wonder what brought that on." Dr Jackson says as the nurse neatens her bedding and Gibbs releases her hands.
"She seemed to be dreaming earlier and when she woke up it was like she was still trapped in the dream." Gibbs replies as he and the Doctor leave the room.
"Mmmm, it must have been pretty bad if it induced that attack." Dr Jackson observes.
"When do you think she will come out of it?" Gibbs asks.
"With the Valium in her system, she will probably be out the next hour or 2." Dr Jackson says as he leaves Gibbs at the elevator door.
Gibbs decides to go to the office and see what the team has so far. He is confused by Sasha's behaviour and her response to him at her apartment the previous night and now at the hospital. His gut is trying to tell him something but he just can't put his finger on it.
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An hour and a half later Sasha comes awake gradually. Her senses seem dull and she feels drowsy. A nurse walks in a few minutes later and greets her. It seems like her voice is coming from a far away place. Sasha places her hand to her head and winces as she traces the band aid against her temple. Her throat is scratchy and dry and her limbs feel like jelly.
"How are you feeling honey?" The nurse asks as she comes to stand next to the bed.
"Thir…sty" Sasha croaks.
"Here you go." The nurse says as she holds a glass with a straw to Sasha's lips. After taking a few sips, Sasha asks, "What happened?"
"Your apartment was burgled and you were injured." The nurse replies as she neatened the bed. Sasha is confused for a moment and then everything comes back to her.
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Stacey and Jason are away on vacation in Canada so I had the place to myself. I had taken a bath and had fallen asleep on the couch in the lounge and then a loud noise woke me up. My gun.. I did not have my gun. Then they were on me, 2 of them. The one made a remake about me being naked under my robe as he bound my hands behind me. The other one, taller and heavier, slapped me across my cheek causing my lip to split, Sasha thinks as she gently runs her hand over her lip.
Then she remembers what the taller one had said, "It's very simple. You will arrange for Special Agent Gibbs' NCIS team to go on a team building week to Herrington Manor State park from the 25th to the 29th and you will accompany them and keep them waiting for me. I will contact you while on the trip. You will also do psych evaluations on them prior to the trip to make all this more authentic. You are the only one who can arrange this since you are the Head of Psychiatry for NCIS and Portside Navy Hospital. I want them in the park so that they can each meet with some kind of unfortunate accident. If you refuse to do this then you will be responsible for the deaths of Stacey and Jason Bridges who are currently enjoying an extended stay with some of my friends."
Sasha closes her eyes and takes a deep breath as she remembers the guy calling someone and then holding the phone to her ear. Jason had sounded so small and afraid and he was being kept away from his mom. He had said, "Aunt Sash you have to come get us. I'm scared. I want to come…" and then the call had been cut. That was when I realized that this situation was much worse than I could have imagined and I agreed to do as they had instructed. Then he had grinned and said something about arranging a meeting between Agent Gibbs and me just before I saw the butt of his gun swinging towards the side of my head.
The next thing Sasha remembers is seeing Agent Gibbs in her apartment as the paramedics were busy with her and then again in the hospital. He had been holding her hands. Why? Sasha wonders.
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Sasha moves restlessly in the bed and lifts her head to look around and she immediately gasps as pain shoots through her skull. The nurse who is still in the room turns around and looks at her. "Are you okay? You did have an anxiety attack earlier. You're not going to have another one now, are you?" the nurse asks as she takes Sasha's pulse and blood pressure. "I think you need something for the pain?" The nurse says as she observes Sasha calming down.
"No, I'm fine." Sasha lies, remembering the feeling of being held down and smothered. "How long have I been here?" she asks realizing that time is of the essence.
"You were brought in last night at around midnight." The nurse replies as she prepares a syringe with a clear liquid.
"What are you giving me?" Sasha asks as the nurse swabs her forearm.
"It's a combination of Myprodol and Synap Forte to help to reduce the headache. We'll give you some of the tablets when you are discharged because the headache will persist for the next few days." The nurse replies as she injects the solution into Sasha's arm.
"When can I leave? I want to go home." Sasha says as she thinks about Jason and Stacey as her headache become a bit bearable.
"Oh that depends on the Doctor. You have a nasty bump on your head so you might be here for another day or two."
"No! I want to leave today. Could you get the Doctor for me, please?" Sasha says as she slowly sits up in the bed. The room spins for a few seconds and a wave of pain and nausea hits her but she tamps it down knowing that she has much more important things to do then sit in the hospital nursing a migraine.
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Back at NCIS Head quarters, Gibbs steps out of the elevator to the familiar banter between Tony and Kate. He shakes his head and takes a sip of his coffee. As he passes their desks they go quiet. Once he is seated, he looks at them and says, "Well, do you have anything for me?"
"Yes Boss." Tony says as he pulls grabs a file from hims desk and comes towards Gibbs' desk. Kate does the same as she places Sasha's details up on the plasma screen. Gibbs turns around and looks at the screen.
"She sure is good looking." Tony grins as he eyes Sasha's picture. As Gibbs glares at Tony, he snaps, "And just how does that bit of information help this case?"
Kate immediately jumps in and starts saying, "Lt Sasha Martins, aged 28, single, no criminal record. She studied Psychiatry at Washington State University. Both parents deceased in a motor vehicle accident in 2001. Neither of them were in the Navy."
"She lived in Norfolk before moving to Washington to complete her studies. Currently she is the head of Psychiatry at Portside Naval Hospital as well as to NCIS." Tony jumps in.
"No siblings. She lives with a Navy nurse, Stacey Bridges and her son. They have been friends since high school. Stacey is currently out of town on holiday with her son for the next 3 or 4 weeks. That explains the kiddy clothes and toys that we found in the one bedroom at the apartment." Kate says as she uploads a picture of Stacey and her son on the plasma screen.
"Is that it? What did her colleagues have to say?" Gibbs asks as he takes another sip of his coffee.
"I spoke to her assistant and 4 Psychiatrists that work under her. They all confirmed that she is easy going and liked by everyone that meets her. She is crazy about children and goes out of her way to spent time with them at the hospital. She works long hours when necessary and is not above assisting her staff when the cases become too much for them to handle. She is however a private person who keeps to herself." Tony says as he observes Gibbs to see if he is satisfied.
"She has not had any previous burglaries or attacks. No threats that anyone is aware of. Has not been in a romantic relationship for the last year. Her Boss says that she is a dedicated Psychiatrist and the best one that he has ever worked with and that is why she has progressed to head of psychiatry so quickly." Kate finishes.
"Okay." Gibbs says as he makes his way to the elevator.
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Back at the hospital Sasha, dressed in hospital scrubs gets into a taxi and makes her way back to her apartment. Her head is throbbing but she knows that she has to put things into action. As she gets to the apartment, she breaks the crime scene tape and enters the apartment. She is devastated by the destruction she sees. Couches have been over turned, glass dishes lie broken in the kitchen, the cupboards are open and half the items are lying out on the floor. As she starts to give into the despair, she notices the broken frame with Stacey and Jason's picture. She picks it up and pulls herself together. I need to focus. There is too much to do, she admonishes herself.
She decides that the cleaning will have to wait and she looks for her laptop. She immediately types up a memo to the NCIS Director advising him of a new requirement where his agents will be evaluated and then they would have to attend a team building field trip. She clearly states that she will be starting with Agent Gibbs' team. She back dates the memo and sends it to her Director as well as the NCIS Director. She knows that her Director will be surprised by this memo, but they had been discussing this a few months ago and she would just convince him that the time was right now.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Gibbs and his team are forced to go on a field trip by a Navy Psychiatrist who has a hidden agenda. Please Review. Thanks